100 Moments Shared Betweeen Two Strangers
by Jemennuie
Summary: Draco, blinded from an insect bite, meets a volunteer while he's recuperating at St. Mungo's who tells him that she is named Jean. A series of moments from their lives before and after meeting each other; DM/HG. Post-Canon drabble collection.
1. Butterfly

**Butterfly**

It was the Siren's song of a lovely spring day that planted the idea of taking a stroll in Draco's mind. In the garden behind his manor, there was the embrace of a warm breeze, the rich green foliage of rose bushes and a single, vibrantly-colored butterfly stretching its wings in the perfume-laden wafts of the irises. When said butterfly landed on his hand, he thought nothing of it, only expressed mild annoyance when it left him with a pinprick wound and didn't even think of how it might have magical properties until he was waking up in St. Mungo's.

…

A/N: This story is going to be a collection of hundred drabbles for the similarly-named challenge at the HPFC. Some drabbles are going to directly contribute to the overarching plot of the story, whereas others are going to be less plot-based and more just Draco and Hermione recounting stories from their lives to each other. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated.

Edit, because I forgot to mention this the first time around: these are all going to follow the strict format for drabbles. That is, _they are going to be exactly one-hundred words_. Hopefully my plan to update daily should make-up for this :)


	2. Polite

**Polite**

Volunteering at St. Mungo's meant that Hermione meant a good number of unpleasant people because, after all, if someone was at the hospital they probably had a legitimate reason for being in a bad mood. Nonetheless, Hermione prided herself on being the perfect volunteer—always smiling, always understanding, always helpful, whether she was bringing meals to the patients, chatting with them, or any of her other assigned responsibilities. It was only when she saw that Malfoy had been checked into her ward that she silently thought her streak of being a perfectly polite volunteer might be about to be broken.


	3. Scared

**Scared**

When Draco first woke up, he was greeted by an old friend - no, an old enemy, because even if the feeling of fear engulfing him was very familiar, that did not automatically make it a friend. Yes, it was his old enemy fear that greeted him when he opened his eyes, unsure where he was, unsure whether he was dead or alive, unsure why there was no difference between when his eyes were open and closed. It was only when the Healer informed him that his optic nerve was destroyed, rendering him blind, that the fear disappeared, replaced by sadness.


	4. Frog

**Frog**

"Malfoy, I wanted to let you know that I'm the volunteer for this section of the hospital," Hermione stated in a forcibly neutral tone. "If you need anything small you can ask me—I chat with the patients, read them books, things like that."

"I don't need to be _read_ to," he snapped. "I'm not helpless. As far as I'm concerned, you can leave and not return."

"I was just trying to be helpful," she snapped back, and as she strolled away she couldn't help but remember the fable "The Frog and the Scorpion" and agree that people never changed.

…

A/N: So a question for all my readers: is the fable of "The Frog and the Scorpion" well known? It occurred to me that I actually don't know if most people know it or not. Also, sorry this drabble is up a bit late.


	5. Think

**Think**

With little else to do in the hospital except eavesdrop on his neighbors' conversations or think, Draco endlessly analyzed his conversation with the volunteer. Realistically, she probably hadn't intended to come off as condescending and, even though he had a legitimate reason to be in a bad mood, he supposed he still shouldn't have taken it out on someone who was only trying to be helpful. When the volunteer next stopped by, Draco finally swallowed his pride and uttered an apology. For a few moments—silence—and then with a neutral acknowledgment of his words she left the room.


	6. Apple Sauce

**Apple Sauce**

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to make of Malfoy or his apology. The possibility that he had grown up in the decades since Hogwarts wasn't that unrealistic, yet, when he politely thanked her for bringing lunch around the next day (nothing special—just a sandwich and some applesauce) and asked her what her name was, another piece of the puzzle slipped into place: he didn't recognize her voice, didn't know who she was.

And, somehow, it would be so much simpler if it stayed that way.

"Jean. My name is Jean."

"You can call me Draco, then," he politely smiled.

…

A/N: J.K. Rowling has stated that Hermione's middle name is Jean, in case you were wondering.


	7. Fun

**Fun**

When the volunteer had first said that one of the things she did was chat with the patients, Draco thought it was utterly ridiculous for that to be among her responsibilities. Who needs to have someone set aside _just for talking with them_? After a few days at the hospital, though, he was starting to feel starved enough of human interaction to bravely attempt a friendly conversation.

"So what made you decide to start volunteering?"

Silence. "Just for fun."

"Nothing better to do with your evenings? No family?"

"Well—" A hesitation. "No."

Without another word she had left.

…

A/N: These drabbles will all be compliant with canon, as far as canon stretches, time-wise; Hermione's response will be explained in the next drabble.


	8. Family

**Family**

Hermione's plan to be nothing but civil to Draco would have worked much better if he hadn't actually talked with her again. As it was, his attempt at conversation had caught her off guard, resulting in her response being, at best, curt.

Courteous. Polite. That's what good volunteers were, and she supposed the least she could do was try again.

A haphazard greeting: "I oversimplified yesterday."

"Oh?"

"I do have a family. Two children. They've just already graduated from Hogwarts."

"My son, too."

If she was talking with anyone else, it would almost seem as if a common ground existed.


	9. Beach

**Beach**

"What's the weather like today?"

Hermione opened her mouth; somehow it hadn't occurred to her that, being unable to leave St. Mungo's, Draco wouldn't know how the weather was.

"It's nice out."

He nodded, before pausing a moment and inquisitively pushing his question. "But what's it like?"

"It's…" She bit her nail, thinking. "It's like a day at the beach. There's a light breeze dancing pinpricks of coolness across your cheeks, while tendrils of heat radiate up from the street, so much so that you almost expect the stones beneath your shoes to sink into a million grains of sand."


	10. Crab

**Crab**

"You said the weather was like a day at the beach, no?" An amused smile secretively tugged at the corner's of Draco's lips. "Are there any crabs wandering around?"

"Pardon?"

The smile widened and stretched until it was incapable of being contained and spilled forth in the form of pleasant laughter. "I've always seen at least one crab at the beach, normally the type with tiny lines of seaweed green reaching partway across the crab's back, like a painter lost interest half way through the job."

Hermione laughed in spite of herself. "I'll let you know when I see one."


	11. Sky

**Sky**

"And today?"

Draco had tried before to start conversations on more interesting grounds than the weather, but Hermione instinctively deferred from sharing any details of her life with…with who? A man who was her school rival almost thirty years ago?

"There's a nip to the air today, ice cubes residing on the tops of your ears, frost forming on the tips of your fingers, but the skies are shining like a summer day, with cotton balls of clouds creating a mosaic of shadow and light."

A pause. A chance to say more, to start an actual conversation.

Tomorrow. Perhaps tomorrow.

...

A/N: I'm going to be traveling, so I won't be able to update for the next few days.


	12. Leashes

**Leashes**

"There's a woman in the maternity ward holding what must be a dozen leashes," Hermione fumblingly attempted to start a conversation.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "A leash saleswoman? St. Mungo's really is a full-service hospital."

Hermione was about to frown that wasn't what she meant, when she noticed the hidden smile on his lips. "I meant, the leashes are attached to some Niffler mixes."

"Probably gifts for the expecting parents. A newborn child won't keep them busy enough, so clearly they need a dozen Nifflers to keep things interesting."

Hermione was surprised to find herself laughing along with him.

...

A/N: Updates this week probably won't come every day, like they were previously; I have some deadlines coming up, so updates will be a bit more sporadic for the next week.


	13. Wood

**Wood**

"We didn't receive any Nifflers when Scorpius was born," Draco started, "But we did receive other memorable gifts. Marriage and the birth of a child are the two times when everyone you have ever met reappears, and even though I hadn't seen Marcus Flint in years, he still appeared to give us congratulations and a baby gift.

"It was oddly shaped, so I asked, 'What's this?'

'It's a broom.'

'_A broom?_'

'It's birch wood. Great for beginners.'

'Scorpius is _two days_ old.'

'Never too early to start. My team does need a new chaser, so –"

'No.'

'But – '

'_No.'_"

...

A/N: I was really hoping to finish a few more drabbles before the school year started (e.g. Draco has another Quidditch story after this one, and we find out what happened to Astoria), but unfortunately the school year has come in like a lion, and I know from prior experience that university keeps me busy enough that I won't have time to update. BUT, I am certainly not abandoning this story, and regular updates should resume during my winter break (late December/early January) at the latest. I might be able to do a few updates during my fall break in October also, and I encourage all of you to put this story on Story Alert so you can keep up-to-date :-)


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